by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 7, 2026
The first $500,000 class of the Winter Equestrian Festival Saturday night showcased a range of brilliant talent, but as he so often does, Germany’s Richie Vogel outshone them all.
Riding Gangster Montdesir (what an unflattering name for such a lovely horse), the European champion topped an eight-horse tiebreaker in the Fidelity Investments fixture before a capacity crowd at Wellington International.
Although the Selle Francais stallion is just turning 10, Ganster demonstrated plenty of polish going for time, edging runner-up Ben Maher of Great Britain on Enjeau de Grisien by 0.35 seconds after finishing the jump-off in 42.65 seconds. France’s Nina Mallevaey completed an all-foreign podium by taking third place on Dynastie de Beaufour 0/43.37.
“It was a quite thrilling jump-off for me,” said Richie.
“I tried not to leave the door too much open, but not risk too much,” he continued, noting Ben and the USA’s Lillie Keenan, who was fourth on Argan de Belliard, would be riding after he completed his round.
Richie Vogel and Gangster Montdesir on their way to victory in Wellington.
Noting that his mount by Kanan is “fairly green, I thought he jumped outstanding and was really with me everywhere,” Richie said proudly.
Ben said he has “grown up together,” with Enjeau, a son of Toulan he has ridden since the Selle Francais was seven.
“He’s always been in the shadows of some of the other horses, and he’s had to step up in previous months. He’s really taken the role on well,” said Ben.
“He’s been a little unlucky here and there, but he’s a very sharp, high-energy horse, and he’s an incredible learner. That’s been his biggest asset; he really wants to be a great horse.”
A field of 39 rode over the course designed by Gregory Bodo, who laid out the routes for the 2024 Paris Olympics with Santiago Varela.
World number two Kent Farrington of the U.S. was first to jump-off on Greya, who had the most outstanding record of any horse in the class, with nine jump-off wins and 11 podiums.
However, having done little with Greya since winning the Rolex grand prix in Geneva during December, Kent admitted to being “a little bit rusty. if I’m honest, from her top form.”
Kent nearly pulled it off, clocked in 40.43 seconds for the fastest time of the jump-off only to topple the front rail of the final fence, an oxer. He wound up fifth.
Fidelity winner Richie Vogel, center, with runner-up Ben Maher and third-place Nina Mallevaey.
The tight time allowed of 83 seconds in the first round caught a number of horses, as did a gold plank five strides from an oxer. The triple combination, with multi-colored rails as the A and C elements and a horizontally striped green rails in the middle, also incurred a good share of the penalties.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 4, 2026
The Final Four used to be the highlight of the world show jumping championships. It offered suspenseful moments when the top four riders would jump the last course of the show, then return on their rivals’ mounts and take the fences three more times to determine the placings.
In the era when Final Four competition was most intriguing, the horses usually were quite different from each other. As such, they presented a challenge to the riders. At the 1982 championships in Dublin, for instance, I remember the compact Brit, Malcolm Pyrah, climbing aboard Fire, the massive warmblood ridden by Germany’s Norbert Koof, and realizing his hopes were done for on that mountain of an animal. Norbert wound up as world champion; Malcolm settled for second place
Back before bloodlines became increasingly mix and match, horses from each nation often represented a distinctive look and required a particular approach that varied by country. Seeing how riders of different backgrounds coped and adjusted to each horse often revealed great equestrian insight as well as luck, But times change, and when show jumpers regularly began selling for seven figures, it seemed the wisest course was to let them dance only with the rider who brung them (to slightly revise a quaint expression).
At the 2014 show jumping world championships, Beezie Madden and Robert Ridland watched as Patrice Delaveau rode Beezie’s mount, Cortes C.
Thus the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy,. France, was the last time for the show jumping Final Four, with a former Olympic champion, Jeroen Dubbeldam of the Netherlands, taking the honors.
There was excitement at the last Final Four show jumping presentation in 2014, where Jeroen Dubbeldam won, France’s Patrice Delaveau was second and Beezie Madden claimed bronze. (Photo © 2014 by Nancy Jaffer)
Some had derisively deemed it the world catch-riding championship, which really isn’t the point. And it was felt by many that these horses didn’t need to jump three extra rounds after nearly a week that included team competition, as well as individual efforts.
But the Final Four concept lived on for 11 more years (with much smaller fences) at the Platinum Performance/U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals, in both the East and West venues.
After the flat phase, gymnastics and jumping a course, the four highest-scoring riders would jump a shorter course to determine the final placings, which weren’t decided until each rider had finished the route on the others’ horses — just like the world championships format.
There were challenges for the Talent Search competitors with that approach, but as the years passed and the Juniors and Young Riders involved became ever-more skilled, the ride-off usually boiled down to fine points (though not always; refusals and other mishaps were not unknown).
The Talent Search began in 1982 with the idea of developing riders who could someday represent the U.S. on international teams. It had many memorable winners who went on to do that, including McLain Ward (1990) and Brianne Goutal (2004) in the East and in the West, Meredith Michaels (1986, though she eventually rode for Germany) and Skylar Wireman (2020), who is on the League of Nations squad in Abu Dhabi next week.
The Talent Search has been through many iterations over the years (at one point it was run on a grand prix field with a grob and a bank at the U.S. Equestrian Team’s Gladstone headquarters). But the biggest change is coming this autumn, when the Final Four will be no more. The changes were made with recommendations from the USEF’s Talent Search task force, sent on to the show jumping committee (chaired by Beezie Madden, who coincidentally rode in the 2014 world show jumping championships’ Final Four.)
USEF Youth Chef D’Equipe DiAnn Langer, an advisor to the task force, noted eliminating the Final Four also is a horse welfare issue. As she pointed out, in the era of social license to operate, having the horses jump four rounds instead of one in the final phase could be interpreted as asking too much of them.
Word came out this week that the Talent Search Final Four is being replaced by a different test for the top 10. The first three phases will remain pretty much the same (the flatwork will involve a minimum of eight movements to be performed in two and one-half minutes before going on to gymnastics) and all competitors will jump a course in the third segment.
Explaining the decision to do away with the Final Four, USEF Managing Director of Show Jumping Lizzy Chesson said the competition “is an important part of the jumping pathway.”
She added that those offering input for the change were “making sure it (the Talent Search) stays relevant to where the sport is gong at the top level and keeping it fresh and exciting,”
Dropping the Final Four in favor of a test for the top 10 came because “we were trying to make it a jumping final mixed with equitation,” Lizzy said.
Now the final phase will be a modified winning round format on the clock, held over a shortened 1.15-meter course.
“Judges will evaluate athletes’ ability to combine speed with short turns, accuracy, efficient track selection, and control, while maintaining classical riding principles and showcasing the horse’s ability to jump clear,” the specifications state.
Each rail down will result in a 4-point deduction, but time and faults will not be the sole determining factors.
“Time has become far more critical in jumping,” Lizzy pointed out. A 2022 rule change that involved going from one time penalty added for every four seconds commenced over the time allowed, to one penalty for every second commenced, has made a big difference. And in League of Nations competition, she noted, ties in jumping faults are broken by the time taken on course.
News that the Final Four would be no more came as a surprise to some top trainers whose students had won the Talent Search multiple times.
In regard to how eliminating the Final Four will affect the Talent Search, Stacia Madden said, “I think it makes it much more like any other competition.
Stacia, who trained 2024 Talent Search East winner Taylor Cawley, observed, “I think the Final Four was one of the real goals and objectives of the kids. It was a very unique format. It was such a level playing field. It’s not like Washington (the Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals) where the draw of the horse really plays into it. Sometimes that can be a real game-changer.”
The 2024 Talent Search East winner Taylor Cawley with her mother, Molly Ashe Cawley, and trainer Stacia Madden.
In the Washington, the riders who switch off their mount ride only one other horse, and if that horse happened to be quirky, there were no other chances, the way there were in the Final Four.
“When you had to ride all the different horses (in the Final Four) it was a very level playing field, I thought,” Stacia commented.
She added, “I was not privy to any of the conversations to know why this was changed. Nobody had asked my opinion, which was fine, but I was just a little bit surprised that I didn’t hear anything about it beforehand.”
Eleanor Rudnicki jumping in the 2025 Talent Search Finals East.
Trainer Missy Clark, who coached the Talent Search East’s 2025 winner, Eleanor Rudnicki, noted, “There’s two sides to every coin,” but added, “when the World Equestrian Games eliminated the (show jumping) Final Four, I can’t disagree with that. It was great while it happened.”
The presentation for the 2025 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East.
In terms of dropping the Final Four in both the world championships and the Talent Search, however, she noted, “I think it’s a better format for today’s world.”
Missy believes it’s better for the horses too, “it’s not so much jumping in one day for them. I support the decision.”
Andre Dignelli, a trainer who won the class himself in 1985 when he was a young rider, said of the decision to drop the Final Four, “I think initially it’s going to be a shock, because a lot of kids, as they’re growing up, probably dream of riding in the top four. That’s what made those finals different.”
At first, he commented, “it’s going to feel like a loss, but I think if they do it right, it’s going to be okay. Your ability to ride a jump-off smoothly is basically going to be the winner. You’ll probably see more kids that are in the lead stay in the lead, you probably won’t see as much jumbling around.”
Andre pointed out, “I think it will probably work and in the end, I think it’s probably a good thing.”
He noted that many of the horses have more demands on them after the Talent Search because they will going on to other finals in the ensuing weeks. At the same time, Andre did mention that “the Final Four gave those kids that were really, really good riders who had ridden a lot of different horses, but didn’t have the one famous horse, the opportunity to maybe out-ride the other kids.”
In his case, he said, “Once I was given the opportunity it gave me a shot at winning.”
Taylor Cawley, the 2024 Talent Search East winner, said that for her and the other three who made it to the last phase that year, participating in the Final Four was important.
“That was my favorite part of my entire equitation career, the finals and the final four switch,” said Taylor, who also won the ASPCA Maclay finals at the National Horse Show..
At the Talent Search, she said, “I feel like that was where I learned so much, from riding the other riders’ horses and watching the other riders, then kind of getting to feel it out on your own. The other riders, all four of us, that was our goal. that was what we looked forward to.”
Taylor’s mother, trainer and grand prix rider Molly Ashe Cawley, was second in the Talent Search herself in 1987 and her brother, Neil Ashe, won the class in 1986. Molly, who also had been a Talent Search judge in the past, was nostalgic about the Final Four.
“I think it’s probably nicer to the horses to do one more round, instead of four,” she conceded.
“But the Final Four, that was something. Now it’s feeling like another equitation final.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 29, 2026
At age 19 after a brilliant career, Ballaghmor Class will leave the arena for good, his rider, Oliver Townend has announced.
He described “Thomas” as the horse is known, “as one of the most successful event horses in history and a phenomenal partner and teammate to me.”
Citing “Thomas’s consistency at the top level of the sport,” Oliver noted the flea-bitten grey’s brilliance has been well-documented.
“He won Burghley on his CCI5* debut at just 10 years old and from there, went from strength to strength to achieve a further three titles at the top level, plus an Olympic team gold medal at Tokyo 2020. He completed 13 five-star events in his career and finished in the top-five 11 times”.
In the U.S., his victories included the MARS Maryland and Kentucky 5-stars. His final start was last October in the Pau, France, 5-star, where he finished twenty-first. Thomas is an Irish Sport Horse by the Holsteiner Courage II.
Oliver said, “Thank you to Thomas’s owners, Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan for supporting the fantastic journey that we have all been on together with this incredibly special horse, and to our team who have looked after him so beautifully over the last 14 years.”
Thomas will make his final bow at a retirement ceremony in the main arena a the Defender Burghley Horse Trials Sept. 6. He won that testing 5-star twice, most recently in 2023.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 26, 2026
The price of showing–and the ever-rising cost of owning horses–have been the hot topics over the last few years. For the U.S. Equestrian Federation, it came to a head with pushback when a fee increase (effective April 1) was announced last year.
In an effort to find answers, at its annual meeting this month USEF held a forum with key figures from the industry to discuss competition costs. The federation noted that a University of Guelph (Canada) study released late last year found that the cost of keeping a horse in that country had risen 466 percent since 2010, while the average income only rose 15 percent. As USEF pointed out, the cost of showing isn’t just horsekeeping plus the amount paid for entering shows. There also are the fees for hotels, travel, training and coaching, meals, and more.
All of this is why US Equestrian included a panel discussion on competition costs as part of the educational program in its 2026 annual meeting, which was held Jan. 15 to Jan. 17 in Louisville, Ky. Simply said, we hear our members’ frustration and decided to host a panel discussion between horse show managers, competitors and trainers to start the conversation. Panel experts , representatives of various breeds and disciplines, as large and small competition organizers, trainers, competitors, and breed group leadership.
Judy Sloan, USEF board member and amateur competitor, moderated the panel; that included: U.S. Hunter Jumper Association President Britt McCormick; Michael Stone, president of Wellington International, home of the Winter Equestrian Festival; Lisa Blackstone, Arabian Horse Association president and exhibitor; Tim Roesink, Morgan trainer, judge, Morgan Gold Cup Regional Horse Show president and Heather Petersen, show manager, dressage steward/TD, amateur competitor and horse show mom.
We feel it is worthwhile to recap the session (edited for length) on this website, because the topic is on everyone’s mind. If you have time to listen to the whole session, here is a link to a replay of the presentation. Otherwise, go to the summary below.
USEF stated: To understand why the entry and other fees you’re paying have been going up, it’s helpful to first understand the expenses a competition organizer has to cover. Whether or not they’re running a sanctioned show, they have to pay for the facility, staff people, officials (including per diems and travel-associated costs), prizes, and sometimes footing maintenance or even footing changes.
Petersen runs a number of dressage and eventing shows around the country and presented averages from last year’s competition season. For her larger shows, the average budget was between $150,000 to $200,000, of which 40 to 50 percent is paid to the facility. Stalls cost about half that 40 to 50 percent, sometimes as much as $50,000. Shavings are also within that facility budget; for Petersen’s competitions, the horse show was charged an average of $14 to $16 a bag for them. Travel and lodging for officials and employees were about 10 percent of the total budget. Golf cart rental was about 2.5 percent or $5,000, and the day rates for judges, vets, farriers, and EMTs were about $27,000 for a four- or five-day show on a $200,000 budget.
Petersen pointed out that much of the profit for these shows came from sponsorship – otherwise, they would have lost money. McCormick, likewise, recalled operating shows with a similar total budget that could either come out $5,000 in the black or the red, which prompted him to stop organizing competitions years ago.
Petersen says she often hears frustrations from competitors who believe that USEF and affiliate fees are what drive horse show prices up. Her analysis found that on average, the fees for both USEF and the U.S. Dressage Federation were about $6,000 of a $200,000 budget, or 3 percent each. USEF requirements do result in other expenses, such as a veterinarian and an EMT, but some of her shows also have nighttime security or biosecurity personnel who help to verify vaccination and Coggins tests, which aren’t required by USEF but are safety and welfare services.
Roesink, who is chairman of the Gold Cup Horse Show, said that Morgan competition for 200 to 250 horses costs about $160,000 to put on, of which $70,000 is the facility cost. Stone agreed that entry fees don’t come close to covering the prize money in Wellington. WEF has 530 employees during the show season, 100 of whom stay year-round.
Expectations vs. Costs
One recent development that factors into the expense of horse shows is an evolving expectation of facility features, particularly footing. Since the evolution of artificial footing, panelists agreed many competitors expect shows to offer engineered footing but may not realize that it costs seven figures to install and to maintain.
“I think we’re our own worst enemy,” said McCormick. “We’ve insisted on having this specialized engineered footing for whatever reason. For the upper levels, yes, that’s a game changer, but for the most part, the idea of riding on sand or grass is just out the window. And that limits your abilities to put on a horse show. How do we walk that back? I’m not sure we can.”
Petersen was quoted $85,000 to $125,000 at one facility to remove the existing sand footing in one arena and replace it with engineered footing after her competitors demanded it.
“If that’s the footing you guys want, that’s what we have to pay,” she said. “And that cost gets passed to you.”
Certainly, panelists agreed, the artificial footing is a huge safety advantage for high-impact competitions, but there’s no data on whether it makes just as much sense for low-impact sports or levels.
Facilities
Petersen reflected on the number of facilities she had seen close or convert away from horse show rentals in the time she has been managing competitions. The general loss of agricultural land has been a factor in some cases, while in others horse shows have lost out to other events that bring in more people at a lesser cost to the facility.
For some organizers, such as those running breed shows, there may be a range of disciplines hosted at one event, each of which come with different footing or facility needs. That can make finding the right host (or even just a willing one) a challenge.
Many competitors have wondered why the same stall has a different cost at one show, compared to the show there one week earlier. Sometimes, this comes down to discipline and how the horse show is structured. Hunter/jumper classes and dressage classes have similar average entry fees for non-international, non-championship classes, but hunters and jumpers may make more appearances in a show (which may cover more days) than a dressage horse will. Some breeds and disciplines book more or less tack stalls and RV spots, which also affects the money an organizer can make on those line items.
Challenges facing the smaller shows
The panelists agreed that the top levels of their sports are strong when it comes to entries – despite the expense that comes with them. What concerns them is the smaller shows. Roesink said the Morgan breed has experienced growth in the number of smaller competitions, but this can cannibalize entries. In the Arabian breed shows, Blackstone pointed out that many of the smaller shows were formerly organized by local and state Arabian clubs and had a volunteer culture as well as a social element. That structure is shifting away from these volunteer-led efforts, and limiting opportunities at that level.
Grassroots
The biggest concern raised by the audience (both in-person and virtual) is where the next generation of competitors will come from. In a world that’s increasingly full of year-round sports opportunities for youth that are less costly, many in attendance felt it’s harder for families to find affordable lesson barns. Those that do can have a hard time grasping the cost difference between going to a schooling competition versus an organized show. The latter may make sense for riders hoping to qualify for regional or national championships, while the former may be a better entry point for beginners who don’t have those priorities.
“I think the importance of USEF is the fairness of sport,” Roesink said. “I think when you don’t have rules and regulations, and when you go unrated, it becomes a slippery slope.”
McCormick agreed that the extras USEF offers – maintaining the rulebook, performing drug testing, organizing investigations and resolutions, SafeSport, and other programs and services – may seem like extras, but they are there for everyone.
“We’re a little like insurance — you don’t need it until you do. And when you do, there’s no replacing it,” he said.
There are programs out there to make riding more affordable. Petersen cited urban farm programs, which can help subsidize the cost of lessons, while the U.S. Dressage Federation recently launched a grant program for dressage lesson barns and offers Opportunity Classes at a reduced cost to competitors. USEF offers USEF Lite as a way to reduce exhibitor and competition organizer costs, while enabling riders to get many of the benefits of a sanctioned environment.
Members were allowed to ask questions, such as, “Why can’t USEF put a cap on what shows charge for entries and other fees?”
McCormick: “I think people have to understand that USEF (and most affiliates) don’t ‘own’ the competitions and market forces drive prices. It would be impossible and unwise to regulate fees. One example that I give is when USEF eliminated the ability of local and state organizations to charge non-member fees or participation fees, a lot of those organizations disappeared and we are now feeling the effects of those local organizations either being gone or no longer affiliated with the USEF.”
Stone: “The cap for fees is not as easy as it seems. I think that fees should always be looked at. The FEI is currently looking at fees that are being charged in Europe in the jumper discipline, where there are fees for almost everything, even an unloading fee when the horses arrive. However, every location has different circumstances and different costs, so a show in Iowa has a completely different cost basis than one in California or Wellington. I don’t think the USEF or indeed any affiliate is able to decide that say the office fees should be capped at $25, or the stabling at $300, as every situation is different. From my perspective it would not be feasible.”
Why do I have to pay both affiliate and USEF fees?
McCormick: “The reasons for being required to belong to the affiliate as well as the USEF are numerous, but for the most part, there are multiple organizations with different roles and responsibilities.
Speaking for USHJA, the way we simplify it is that USHJA provides programs, education and advocacy, while USEF is in charge of licensing and regulation.”
Part of the expense of showing is all the gear. I feel like if others have the highest-end attire and tack, I need to have that too or I’ll be at a disadvantage in a subjectively-judged sport.
Petersen: Clothes are perceived as making a difference, but if they are legal, then the horse is really the only thing the judges are looking at.
Blackstone: I am an Arabian judge and never do you judge on show clothes, so long as they are legal. The horse is being judged only. This is a non issue.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 25, 2026
We keep hearing the same complaints about horse showing: For all but the uber wealthy, many of the competitions have gotten too expensive — dealing with high entry fees and add-ons, while the cost of being away from home for five or six days has skyrocketed,
A new show series at Los Angeles Equestrian Center is geared to handling those concerns under the direction of Steve Hankin, who transformed California’s Desert International Horse Park during his five years as CEO. (Click here to read a story about that).
Steve, who departed DIHP last July, has come up with a new venture, Pacific Ridge Show Jumping, nine regional and national shows to run from April through October. The include fixtures of three, four and five days.
“There are always conversations about the regional horse show, will it work? commented Steve.
He is convinced that one place it will work is at LAEC, a 75-acre city-owned facility in Griffith Park. It has a 3,500-seat arena, 13 other rings, 500 stalls for boarders and nearly that many for horses competing in shows at the Burbank site.
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
“The notion of being at your home barn and saying, `My horse is going great, let’s put him in the ring for two or three days at a cost that’s not significant,’ is really cool. A home venue vs. an away venue cuts your costs in half right away. There are some interesting ways the facility can evolve and play a role in the sport in California,” said Steve, who has a reputation as a visionary.
“What’s been interesting is the reaction, how great people’s memories are of what LAEC was and how much they are excited about prospects for it to return to its glory. People everywhere, people around the country. have called about it.”
Steve, who lives 10 minutes from LAEC, said he is at “the intersection of two things that matter to me — doing something at home and doing something for the sport.”
At some point, Pacific Ridge may host FEI shows, perhaps even a World Cup qualifier, but now the focus is on the 2026 offerings.
“This is a start, there’s lots more that can happen,” said Steve. He will be working with Adrienne Karazissis, who has had experience in management with the West Palms shows, some of which were held at LAEC.
“We’re starting small. We’ve got a lot to learn about the place. It’s a journey very much unlike Thermal (DIHP),” he observed. But Steve explained, “you don’t have pressure the first day to make something big. People are excited. They want to support it, and I think we’ll learn. I never thought about what it meant to have an urban facility.”
“You have so many horses within an hour (drive). To be so close to so many horses, it can take on the feel of a home facility and it can be used in different ways than a traditional facility because of that.”
LAEC has been run by ASM Global, which was bought by Legends Global, a company involved with sports and entertainment.
While noting ASM “made good progress over the last couple of years,” Steve is eager to implement improvements at LAEC.
“The place is in need of serious work, everyone knows that. The things I focus on first are stabling and footing, and we’re trying to figure out how to have at least some impact on those in the short period of time we have before we can start our shows,” he noted.
He and his wife, Lisa, are personally involved with horses. She recently took a four-year-old to compete in lower-level jumper classes at DIHP.
“I really want to contribute to the sport still and I really want to do it in LA,” said Steve.
“It’s fresh, it’s new, it’s different. It’s fun to think about the challenges the people talk about in the sport and how do you solve it? People want a change. You hear it in the conversation everywhere you go. The question is, are they going to like what the change is?”
“If you can offer a quality three-day horse show that can help people qualify, it’s a great product, especially in an urban setting. It doesn’t work everywhere. It’s got to be a great experience in every dimension. I’m optimistic.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 21, 2026
What’s the best thank you for saving a life?
Sally Walker, whose horse was freed from a dangerous situation by determined rescuers, decided she wanted to do something that could help many more large animals in trouble. Her gratitude is reflected in a GoFundMe she started to buy specialized equipment for making rescue easier and more effective.
The drama began when her 27-year-old Arabian/warmblood-cross gelding, Teddy, was grazing peacefully at the edge of a pond in his pasture at Heronwood Farm in Bedminster, N.J., last November. The pond was lower than usual because of autumn’s drought conditions, and he wound up stuck in the mud at its edges, unable to move back to solid ground.
Teddy during the rescue process; the conditions were very difficult. (Photo courtesy Sally Walker)
Farm owner Rachel Rosenthal Bellard rushed over to the pasture Teddy had used without incident for 15 years. She found he was up to his chest in the muck.
“I tried to rouse him,” she recalled, but “he made an effort and then plopped down.”
She sought help, realizing the horse couldn’t get out on his own, and that rigging a tractor to pull him out herself wouldn’t work.
“I called 911 immediately and I think if I did anything right, that was it,” Rachel recounted.
“I had no idea the response that was gong to come when I dialed 911.”
The police arrived quickly, along with her neighbor Tom Lynch, a member of the Far Hills-Bedminster Fire department. Bedminster Township sent over a backhoe.
“Within 20 minutes, there were 43 volunteers here, I had eight firetrucks from different departments parked on my driveway,” Rachel said.
Then neighboring Hunterdon County’s Technical Rescue Task Force was called in.
“Those guys were the ones who really knew what to do,” said Rachel.
Standing by her horse’s head to comfort him, Sally recalled, “It looked like he had just sunk. It was almost like he went down in quicksand. He was well and truly stuck.”
She knows her presence helped reassure him, and offered advice for anyone who finds their horse in a difficult situation.
“My words of wisdom are, don’t underestimate how your horse knows and trusts you, and your presence is critical.”
She was thankful for the presence of Alex Eristavi of the Somerset County Emergency Training Academy, who stayed with her and “kept reminding me that Teddy knew I was there.”
Rachel said, “Alex was the guy who was telling everybody what to do, he was calming Sally.” She noted with a smile, “It was like he’d done this before.”
Teddy was covered with blankets as rescuers worked on that chilly day. While he looked okay from the surface, the concern was what couldn’t be seen below the waterline.
“Nobody would say it out loud, but all I could think of was, `Did he have a broken leg?’ ” Rachel recalled.
The rescuers put large flat hoses behind Teddy’s elbows and in front of his stifles, then set up an A-frame and used a hand winch to very slowly lift him out.
Formerly an eventing mount for Doug Payne, Teddy has been owned for 15 years by Sally, an amateur rider who had competed with him in the low-level jumpers and called him “the love of my life.” She said he is “the horse everybody wants to go on the trail with, because he reacts to nothing.”
Standing by as Teddy finally was lifted out, she acknowledged being “very scared, because of his age and the circumstances.”
Once extricated, her horse scrambled, was able to stand for a moment and then lay down, exhausted, cold and in shock. He lay there for a couple of minutes until, after being encouraged, he finally got up. and walked to the barn, where his legs were sprayed with warm water, while a kerosene heater raised the temperature. He spent a few days recovering at Running S Equine Veterinary Services before coming home, where he is awaiting his next trail ride when the weather cooperates.
If rescuers had not been on the scene, Teddy’s fate “would have been much bleaker,” according to veterinarian Travis Bowers of Running S, who consulted with the rescue team.
“It wasn’t just that he was stuck in a pond; it was very deep. There was a lot of thought and equipment that went into removing him from the mud without causing too much suction damage. It was very crucial that we had all the equipment that they brought.”
Without that, it would have become much more of an extreme emergency situation. but because they were there so quickly …without the crews that did show up, I’m not sure it would have been accomplished. It was very well put together.”
While the improvised hose tubing was wide enough so it didn’t cause a lot of pressure, Travis noted, “when you’re trying to pick up a 1,000-pound plus animal on a hoist set-up, you do worry about too much pressure on their internal organs, so a sling would distribute the weight better. ”
This image, courtesy of the Far Hills-Bedminster Fire Department, shows how the hose was used, and why the sling sought through the GoFundMe would be better suited to the job.
Public Safety Director/Hunterdon County Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Brayden Fahey said one of the pieces of equipment being sought through Sally’s GoFundMe is a sling that would integrate with existing technical rescue equipment. It is specifically designed for horses and costs $3,112.
Situations where such a sling is needed for rescues is “pretty common, at least in Hunterdon” where there is a lot of agriculture. “We have maybe half a dozen of these (calls) a year,” Brayden said.
Having the right gear “insures that we’re doing it in the safest manner possible, with equipment that’s specifically intended for that purpose,” he noted.
The other piece of equipment sought through the GoFundMe is a large animal relocator sked that costs $2,819.
“We have those for humans,” said Brayden, explaining it is “a rigid piece of plastic. We can package someone in and slide them a distance.”
It’s tailored for large animals, so they can be moved across the ground without lifting them.
Far Hills-Bedminster Fire Chief Jason Groendyk noted, “The coordination between the Far Hills-Bedminster Fire Department and the mutual aid departments that were requested with both Somerset and Hunterdon County Office of Emergency Management, shows how volunteers in this area are committed to training and supporting their communities.”
He mentioned that members of his department last year took a class on large animal rescue. Other agencies responding included the Peapack and Gladstone Fire Department, Flemington Rescue, Whitehouse Rescue and South Branch Fire and Rescue.
In the wake of what happened at her facility, Rachel suggested farm owners pay attention to the water resources on their property, if animals have access to them. For her part, she is now fencing in the pond.
Rachel expressed her gratitude for the rescuers, saying she is thankful “for living in a community where people come. If I was out in the middle of nowhere, we would have lost this horse.”
“I had no idea the response that was gong to come when I dialed 911. Everyone who came stayed until the end. They were learning and helping any way they could. It was an amazing thing to see. Most of the volunteers were not horse people, they were just wanting to help.”
A month after his trauma, Teddy was back to his old self for the holidays. (Photo courtesy Sally Walker).
As Sally noted, “We are so incredibly lucky to have this kind of service in New Jersey. There are so many different incidents that could happen.
“And you never know,” she pointed out.
When it comes to needing help, “one day it could be you.”
